“There is information that some Croatian citizens are a part of the odious Azov battalion, formed by far-right powers. The participation of foreign mercenaries, including Croatian, in the internal Ukrainian conflict is unacceptable and only incites it,” the statement reads.
“We call on Zagreb and heads of other states, whose citizens are enlisted by Ukrainian armed forces, to stop this vicious practice. This task is specifically relevant now, during the very important and difficult period of Minsk agreements implementation regarding normalization of situation in Ukraine’s southeast," the ministry continued.
Moscow expressed concern over the Pusic’s statements.
Ukrainian volunteer battalions, such as Donbas, Azov and Dnipro, were formed in April after Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine. In November, the volunteer divisions, far-right in their ideologies, were put under the command of the Ukrainian Army.